Banijay Group’s Bunim/Murray Productions, the company behind Project Runway and Keeping Up With The Kardashians, is expanding its reach into the burgeoning Asian market by sealing a joint development deal with South Korea’s Signal Entertainment Group. Under the deal, BMP will develop new formats with Signal. Jeff Jenkins, Co-President of Entertainment and Development at BMP and Agnes Lee and David M. Uslan, SVP of Production at Uslan Entertainment will oversee the partnership on behalf of Signal. Signal will handle the distribution of new formats coming out of the co-development deal for the South Korean, Hong Kong and Chinese markets while Banijay Rights will handle worldwide distribution for new formats outside of those territories.

BBC Four has picked up Swedish thriller Black Lakefrom Banijay Rights. The 8×45 drama series focuses on a group of young friends and the unsettling chain of events that are set into motion when they visit an abandoned ski resort. What begins as a fun research trip, soon takes a sinister turn when the group is gripped by a series of unexplained and disturbing events. Ulf Kvensler, Moa Herngren, Peter Arrhenius and Jonathan Sjöberg write the script while Sjöberg and David Berron direct. Black Lake was produced by Jarowsij and was acquired from Banijay Rights. It will air on BBC Four later this year.

A+E Networks

A+E Networks is partnering with France’s Newen Studios in a deal that will enable Newen to produce A+E’s unscripted formats in the territory. Programs such as extreme survival challenge Alone and marriage show Bride & Prejudice will be included in the deal. Newen, one of France’s oldest television production houses, recently had success with historical drama series Versailles, with the first episode of season two airing this week on Canal+. “Our deal with Newen demonstrates A+E Networks’ commitment to continued expansion in the international marketplace through strong, long-term partnerships with the best broadcast and production players,” said A+E Networks International Executive MD Patrick Vien.

Endemol Shine Group and Middle East indie producer Imagic have entered into a regional production partnership. Under terms of the deal, Imagic, which has adapted major international formats for the MENA region such as Arabs Got Talent and MasterChef, will exclusively produce Endemol Shine non-scripted formats across the Middle East and will have access to the Group’s global library of IP. The two companies will work closely together in selling new shows to local broadcasters and platforms. The deal comes as Endemol Shine refocuses its regional strategy from operating a production hub in the Middle East to expanding its local format distribution and licensing business overseen by the group’s central team, led by Marina Williams, COO, International Operations. As part of this, Imane Mezher Gibran has been appointed as Format Distribution and Licensing Coordinator while Lara Haddad, Managing Director of Endemol Shine Middle East, is stepping down after seven years of leading the company’s local production business.

Banijay Rights has sold a raft of new dramas to international territories. In addition to selling Black Lake to Britain’s BBC Four, it’s sold two French-language dramas Public Enemy and The Disappearance to SBS Australia for its AVOD platform SBS on demand. Belgian drama series Public Enemy has sold to TF1 in France, Sky Atlantic for UK and Germany, Movistar for Spain, C More for Scandinavia and Ale Kino Channel for Poland. Single dramas including Damilola, Our Loved Boy and Ellen have been sold to HBO Europe and will air across 14 territories.